SHA moves ahead with plan for single-A teams in the GTHL

Cedar Hill president Ed Wahl and elected reps from the SHA held a public meeting Sunday, Feb. 7, at Centennial Arena to deliver to parents the details of its plans to "reclassify" the single-A association, pending approval from the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

Much to the ire of some league parents, the SHA submitted an application last summer to field a full slate of single-A teams into the GTHL next year.

The teams will continue to play out of Scarborough and within the GTHL's eastern division.

The association, which houses six local leagues that are hemorrhaging membership at an alarming rate, additionally told parents it's putting the finishing touches on a full contact development league, it says, will help restore parity and membership numbers.

Wahl said there are some kinks to the program that will take some time to knead out, but he said reception from the 60 or so parents who attended the meeting Sunday was encouraging, with a few exceptions.

"We met some resistance at the beginning, calling it (the development league) a glorified house league... Whenever you have change you're going to have resistance... but once we explained everything, I think they were content," said Wahl, the president at Cedar Hill for 18 years. "In fact some were actually thrilled that it would be cheaper."

The hot-button subject of what exactly to do with the league, which has been in existence for 54 years, has been a very public point of contention between parents and the league's executive since the spring of last year when John Kelloway, the association's president, sounded the alarm to media that the SHA was "on life support" and would, in all likelihood, fold after this year.

Until this week the only real vocal opposition to the proposal came from a parent-led group who, fuelled by Kelloway's commentary on the SHA, banned together, launched a website, hosted a meeting and conducted a survey - in an attempt to overthrow the SHA's six sitting executive members and its leader.

"Unfortunately they weren't looking at the big picture," said Wahl, citing the parent group and its allies. Parents were told that they could vote the SHA's board members out and take over, "which just isn't true," he said.

"The thing that most people don't realize is that Don Montgomery (the late SHA founder) was a very dear friend of mine. So, the last thing I would try to do is stop what he created and made flourish," Wahl added.

Even without the support of the group and the Scarborough Sabres organization, which, through Sandra Rayment and Paul Wilson, has already declared it is not on board, the plan will proceed.

The SHA requires 75 per cent compliance, which it already has with the support of four of the six associations.

"That's all we need to make this viable in every single division," he said.

Wilson, a hockey dad and a coach with the Sabres, said the SHA and GTHL haven't followed proper protocol.

He said complaints have been issued to the Ontario Hockey Federation, which governs the GTHL. The group is now awaiting a response from the OHF.

Wilson said he and his group have no intentions of returning to the league fold, and will, in fact, "boycott" the league in the future.

According to the SHA release - which went out to SHA parents and will be distributed in arenas this week - for $750 plus a $3 gate fee, the minor development program includes: four teams per division, peewee through midget; a 42-game season, including playoffs and finals; two games and one practice per week held from Monday to Thursday; players are tournament eligible; certified coaching; two imported positions per teams and jerseys and socks.

For more information on the new plans, go to www.scarboroughcrusaders.com